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Enhancing Patient Care by Promoting Health Literacy

February 20, 2020

The causes, symptoms, and treatment of cancer can be enormously complex. Upon being diagnosed, people are often thrust into a medical world that is completely unknown to them. Some find themselves in the position of having to make complicated treatment choices in a short amount of time. Given that research indicates that more than one-third of U.S. adults have limited health literacy, that prospect can be overwhelming.1

Of course, physicians and nurses counsel patients and explain their options, but a recently diagnosed patient is often not in the best place to absorb complex medical information and make life-changing decisions. Clinicians, accustomed to medical jargon, may assume that patients possess a baseline medical knowledge that they do not. Patients and caregivers may be hesitant to speak up and request that the provider explain terminology or slow down, leaving them confused. This can compound the anxiety that patients are already feeling, making it less likely that they will participate in their own care.

Create a national council or network to engage diverse stakeholders in developing guidelines, strategies, and tools for communicating evidence-based information about cancer to patients, families, and communities.

Partner with social media platforms and use social media to communicate cancer information to the public and respond to misinformation.

Build trust with members of the public and patients by actively engaging them in conversations about health and by communicating health information clearly and in plain language.

Implement patient navigation programs to address barriers to care, including the potential for reduced access due to health literacy limitations.

Train all healthcare organization employees in best practices for communication and strategies to address the health literacy needs of patients and families.

Implement policies within healthcare organizations to support patient self-management, particularly during key transitions in cancer care.

To help cancer programs evaluate and promote health literacy within their organizations, ACCC has developed a health literacy gap assessment tool. By completing the assessment, cancer programs can identify opportunities for advancing health literacy and subsequently enhancing patient care. ACCC has also created a list of curated resources for programs to use post-assessment.

For more information on the proceedings of the National Academies Workshop on Health Literacy and Communication Strategies in Oncology—including information on leveraging media for cancer education and prevention, responding to the specific needs of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer, promoting continuing care through survivorship, and teaching patients self-management—refer to the full text.
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